761111 - Lecture SB 05.05.24 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

761111SB-VRNDAVAN - November 11, 1976 - 26.50 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (break)

dhṛtā tanūr uśatī me purāṇī

yeneha sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram

śamo damaḥ satyam anugrahaś ca

tapas titikṣānubhavaś ca yatra

(SB 5.5.24)

(break) Translation: (01:14) "The Vedas are My eternal, transcendental sound incarnation. Therefore the Vedas are śabda-brahma. In this world, the brāhmaṇas thoroughly study all the Vedas, and because they assimilate the Vedic conclusions, they are also to be considered the Vedas personified. The brāhmaṇas are situated in the supreme transcendental mode of nature, sattva-guṇa. Because of this they are fixed in mind control, or śama; sense control, dama; and truthfulness, or satya. They describe the Vedas in their original sense, and out of mercy, or anugraha, they preach the purpose of the Vedas to all conditioned souls. They practice penance, or tapasya, and tolerance, titikṣa, and they realize the position of the living entity and the Supreme Lord, anubhavaḥ. These are the eight qualifications of the brāhmaṇas. Therefore among all living entities no one is superior to the brāhmaṇas."

Prabhupāda:

dhṛtā tanūr uśatī me purāṇī

yeneha sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram

śamo damaḥ satyam anugrahaś ca

tapas titikṣānubhavaś ca yatra

(SB 5.5.24)

So the meaning is clearly described in the translation. So the brāhmaṇas, why they are accepted as the supreme in the human society? On account of these qualities. We have discussed this point, that either brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, especially dvijottama . . . The brāhmaṇas are called dvijottama. Dvija-śreṣṭhā. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā. Dvija means twice-born, one birth by the father and mother and the other birth by Vedic knowledge and spiritual master. Twice-born. So the daśa-vidhā-saṁskāra, purificatory processes . . . Saṁskarād bhaved dvijaḥ. Unless one undergoes the purificatory process, he cannot be called twice-born. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth everyone is a śūdra, fourth-class man." Practically we see that children, they are sent to school. Why they are sent to school? Because by birth he is foolish, abodha-jātaḥ. There is no knowledge. Therefore he should be sent to school, as he makes progress, to colleges, to learn higher, higher. This is the material arrangement.

The same arrangement for spiritual education. Not that by birth, because one is born of a brāhmaṇa family, he remains a brāhmaṇa although he becomes less than śūdra. No. There must be education. The twice-born, he must approach the spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Just like the Satyakāma, Jabala-Satyakāma Upaniṣad. The boy approached Gautama Muni that "Kindly accept me your disciple. Initiate me." Formerly, without becoming a brāhmaṇa specially, they were not initiated. So in those days all the families were very pure. Therefore born of a brāhmaṇa father is understood that he has got the training of a brāhmaṇa. That is a facility. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41). By pious activities or by practice of bhakti-yoga, if one has not completed, yoga-bhraṣṭa, one who falls down from the yoga practice, such person is given another chance to take birth in a nice family, a brāhmaṇa family or a rich mercantile family. The brāhmaṇa family is rich in knowledge, and the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they are rich in opulence, wealth, material riches. And śūdras, they are not rich either in material wealth or in knowledge. Therefore they are called śūdras.

So this bhakti-yoga or any yoga . . . Real yoga, or the first-class class yoga, is bhakti-yoga. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. There are many yogīs. Out of them, the bhakta-yogi . . . Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gata āntarātmanā (BG 6.47). Without becoming a bhakta-yogī, nobody can think of Kṛṣṇa always. That is not possible. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). The bhakti-yoga we are teaching in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, twenty-four hours' engagement. Superficially we engage from four o'clock in the morning till ten o'clock at night, and that is resting time. But when one is advanced in devotional service, while sleeping he also serves Kṛṣṇa. That means twenty-four hours, satatam. That depends on . . . Because in sleeping you also dream, so what we do during daytime we dream at night. So if one is cent percent engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, naturally he'll dream also at night. I have seen one of our intimate relative. He was a businessman, selling cloth. So in dream also he was quoting price of cloth. So that is natural. That is not unnatural. Therefore we have to practice. At the time of death, somehow or other if we quote the price of Kṛṣṇa, then our life are successful. Therefore we should practice: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). If we practice Kṛṣṇa, then naturally it is expected that at the time of death we remember Kṛṣṇa. Then immediately we are transferred to the Kṛṣṇaloka. Immediately. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately. There is no doubt about it. Simple thing, but it requires practice.

Therefore, to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness we have to practice other things. That is the position of sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram. That is called śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vāsudeva-śabditam (SB 4.3.23), there is a verse. Pure goodness. Pure goodness means there is only Vasudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). That is pure sattva, when there is no other conception, simply Vāsudeva. Vasudeva is the platform. Just like Vasudeva was the father of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa appeared, Vasudeva was the father. So śuddha-sattva is Vasudeva. Vasudeva means there is no contamination of ignorance or passion; simply sattva-guṇa. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye, ceta etair anāviddham (SB 1.2.19). When your mind and consciousness will not be contaminated by the modes of ignorance and passion, that is śuddha-sattva. That is śuddha-sattva. That is spiritual platform, Vasudeva. Then Vasudeva will beget Kṛṣṇa. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. So if we purify our existence, another . . . Kṛṣṇa comes or Kṛṣṇa's devotees come. They come in śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ paramaṁ pavitram. Then naturally there is śamo damo titikṣa ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānaṁ āstikyam (BG 18.42). Naturally there is brāhmaṇa behavior. And when one becomes brāhmaṇa, pure, no material contamination, then bhakti appears, after becoming brāhmaṇa or brahma-bhūtaḥ, not material platform. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). In the material platform, jīva-bhūtaḥ, but in the spiritual platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ.

So ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "Yes, I am already Brahman because my constitutional position is part and parcel of Paraṁ-brahma." Kṛṣṇa is Paraṁ-brahma. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ (BG 10.12), pavitraṁ paramam, this same thing, pavitraṁ paramam. So naturally, because we are part and parcel of the pavitraṁ paramaṁ, Paraṁ-brahma, we are also the same thing, a small particle, aṁśa. Mama aṁśa. Aṁśa and aṁśi. A small grain of gold, by quality it is gold, not that because it is small, it is something else. It is the same thing. Similarly, we are also pavitram, pure, but that small can fall down sometimes and becomes apavitra. So we are just like sparks of fire, so, so long we are in the fire, this quality of the spark is also fire. It is also illuminating. It is also has got the quality of burning power, small quantity. But when the spark falls down from the fire it becomes extinguished, the fiery quality. That is our position. We have fallen down from the quality, and we have to revive it. Just like a person becomes diseased. Diseased is not his permanent position. That is a temporary infection. But it can be cured. If one likes, he can cure his disease and again he can become healthy. Similarly, we are fallen somehow or other. "Somehow or other" means the reason is as soon as we become independent, we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa. But we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa—we want to become independent—then immediately we are forced by the illusory energy to come under her and work under her direction. We are born servant, jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It is made for the purpose of serving me. This is the purpose. But when it is diseased . . . When it cannot serve the body, then it is diseased. Similarly, our constitutional position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. That is real life. And when you don't serve Kṛṣṇa or deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is diseased condition. And that is called māyā. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare.

So we have to cure our disease. This disease means . . . The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means purification of our diseased condition, infectious condition. It is not anything artificial. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti 'sādhya' kabhu naya (CC Madhya 22.107). Not that by artificial means, as they are making propaganda in Europe and America that we are brainwashing . . . It is not that by some means or by some artificial, what is called, hypnotism, we are making these European or American boys, girls kṛṣṇa-bhakta. No. It is there already, kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Otherwise why they should take to Kṛṣṇa? They have got their other, I mean to say, worshipable. There is Jesus, Jesus Christ, and others. Mostly they are coming from Christian family. Why they should agree to worship Kṛṣṇa? No, it is there already. It is not that because they are born in Europe and America they are different from Kṛṣṇa's relationship. No.

Kṛṣṇa claims, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. Kṛṣṇa has relationship not only in the human society, in animal society, in bird society, in plant society, in insect society, in demigod society. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). He doesn't claim that "I am interested with the Indians or the Hindus or the brāhmaṇas or this." No. He claims all forms of body. So therefore these foreigners, so-called foreigners, they have got already relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Every living entity has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). How they can be separate? It is not possible. But they forgot it. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to revive their original consciousness. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye . . . (CC Madhya 22.107): "Oh, I am Kṛṣṇa's." As soon as this consciousness comes, he becomes perfect. It is already there. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti 'sādhya' kabhu naya, śravaṇādi. And this revival of original consciousness can be executed by hearing, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. It is possible. Therefore we stress on the point of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. And actually it is happening. When I went to New York there was no kṛṣṇa-bhakta at all, a single man. So how so many kṛṣṇa-bhaktas have come out? By this same process,

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nive . . .

(SB 7.5.23)

This is bhakti process. So anywhere, in Africa also, in the village of Africa, when our Brahmānanda goes there, the big, big Africans with earrings, big, big earrings, very tall, almost naked, they also dance, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." So this is practical. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given this opportunity that simply by chanting . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not manufactured it. It is mentioned in the śāstra. No . . . Although Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He does not introduce anything by manufacturing, just like nowadays these rascals do. There is no question of manufacturing. Whatever is there already in the śāstra, indication, we have to follow. Yaḥ śāstra-viddhim utsṛjya vartate (BG 16.23) . . . Otherwise there is no success. Kṛṣṇa also said śāstra. Kṛṣṇa is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He refers to the Vedānta-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitam (BG 13.5). So we cannot go beyond the śāstra. We must follow. So in the śāstra it is said, in the Kali-yuga people are so fallen, they cannot be persuaded to so many rules and regulation, but kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply that is special facility for these fallen . . . You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa regularly and you become liberated from the material contamination. And as soon as you become liberated, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). We have no distinction that "Here is American," "There is European," "Here is Indian," "Here is African." No. Samaḥ sarveṣu, even animals. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then bhakti begins. That is practical.

So that is śuddha-sattva. Śamo damo satyaṁ anugraha. The brāhmaṇa's business is anugraha, to be just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is unhappy for others. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43): "I am thinking of these rascals. They are making so many gorgeous arrangements, big, big skyscraper, big, big roads, and thousands of motorcars." Māyā-sukhāya. "They will enjoy this life for fifty years, sixty years, thirty years, and making big, big arrangements." Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: "I am thinking of these rascals, that they forget the real business, what is the problem of life. They are busy in erecting, constructing big, big skyscrapers." Not only now; formerly also the vimūḍhān, the rascals . . . Viśeṣa mūḍha. Kṛṣṇa says mūḍha. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍha. And Prahlāda Mahārāja stresses more: vimūḍhān, first-class mūḍhas. (laughter) Yes. Vimūḍhān. So anyone who does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is busy in other business, he's a vimūḍhān. Don't remain a vimūḍhān. Become intelligent. Kṛṣṇa ye bhaje sei baḍa catur. Be the first-class intelligent man and be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end)